The End Of a Beginning
by Muppet-attack32
Summary: Summary for chapters 4&5: After the anomalous moment between Olivia and Elliot in chapter 3, Olivia decides to take some time to think but is interrupted by a phone call from an old friend in hiding, and Elliot is called home for some big news from Kathy.
1. The End Of a Beginning

Author: Muppet

Chapter title: The end of a beginning

Rating: pg

Disclaimer: No one in this entire ff is mine. There is a small mention of Robert but other than that I've got nothin'. Robbie's gone. I'm sad.

A/n- I'm not sure if it's completely necessary to read the first part of my "series." But it is greatly appreciated and would definitely be helpful in reading this one. And also I want to say it is so helpful hearing your suggestions. I do take them into consideration while writing. Also, thank you Maureen for helping me. You are awesome.

It was 4:45 am. The only sound to be heard as they drove in silence was the rubber of the windshield wipers rubbing up against the glass clearing drops of rain off the windshield. No one said a word. Fin was driving silently; Cragen sat in the passenger seat, and Elliot and Olivia in the back.

They watched the rain as it speckled the window and began to patter against the glass harder until eventually it was pouring outside. Olivia laid her head on Elliot's shoulder. She was tired and hadn't slept more than a couple hours in the past two days but yet, she couldn't sleep. Her mind didn't seem to stop buzzing.

She was thinking about Robert and what happened six years ago when she put him away, she was thinking about Elliot and how out of his mind he must have been looking for her, she was thinking about when they told each other they loved one another, and most of all she was thinking about how much her head was hurting.

She looked up at Elliot's eyes. They were staring intently out the window. They looked troubled, tired. After all the times she could look into his eyes and know what he was thinking she hadn't the slightest idea right now.

She put her hand over his in an effort to get him to look at her, and he did. There eyes met and they stared for a moment, neither of them sure of what to say. So Olivia just laid her head back on his shoulder and kept her hand where it was. A couple minutes later and they were at the hospital.

Cragen was checked out. He had a large purple bruise on his chest from the impact of the bullet when it hit his Kevlar vest but other than that, he was alright.

Olivia had several bruises and a black eye. The doctor recognized her from television and gave her his condolences. He also told her it wasn't necessary to keep her over night so she was free to go home. Before they all left they decided it would be a good idea to go visit Munch.

It was about a quarter till seven when they knocked on the door, hoping none of the hospital personnel would be there to prevent them from seeing there friend.

"Come in." They heard Munch's weary voice say on the other side. So they opened the door.

"Hey." Munch said his voice picking up a little when he noticed Olivia.

"You're alright...you look like crap." He said noticing the black eye.

"Thanks John." Olivia said smiling.

"You feeling okay?" Fin asked.

"Yeah, it hurts. But I'm okay." Olivia couldn't help but feel guilty he was there. There was a moment of silence.

"So, what happened?" Munch asked.

"Robert Kline is in custody and it turns out he had another cousin there who..." Elliot began, but decided not to finish. No one there knew about the other cousin let alone that it was he who set Robert up six years ago and not Olivia. He didn't want to tell her that until she gotten some sleep but it was beginning to look like the time to tell her was going to be now.

"You mean, not the one who shot me." Munch stated.

"Yeah, his name is Aaron he uh... he is (or was) David's brother. He'd planned to set Robert up and take his money we were going to give him. We hadn't made the transaction before everything went haywire" Elliot said relieved he didn't have to tell her just yet.

"Haywire?" Munch asked

"Well we figured out there wasn't really a bomb and-" Another moment of silence.

"A bomb?" Munch asked utterly confused.

"How about we fill you in later when we're all feeling better." Cragen added.

"Yeah, Sorry I wasn't there to help." Munch said, sad that he missed it all.

"It's not your fault." Olivia said looking down.

"It's not yours either." John reminded. Olivia looked up and smiled half-heartedly.

"You all need sleep. I can tell by looking at you." Munch said looking at the group of clearly exhausted people standing before him.

"Alright John, we'll leave you to your own devices." Elliot said.

They said there good byes and left. Olivia was the first to be dropped off at her apartment.

"You sure you're going to be alright alone?" Cragen asked her. But she knew this was a routine question.

"I'm sure." She said looking him in the eye to convince him.

"Alright well I want you take at least a week off." Cragen told her, knowing she wouldn't accept anything more. Olivia just nodded and smiled and thanked them for the ride.

"Hey Liv, do you need me to walk you in?" Elliot asked. Olivia thought she would give him at least the assurance that she got to the door alright.

"Sure." She answered and they both exited the car. They walked into her apartment in silence. Olivia pressed the call button for the elevator. And they waited in silence. As the doors opened they both got inside. Olivia looked up again into his troubled eyes.

"Are you going to be alright?" She asked. He laughed lightly, as much as his body would allow.

"I should be asking you that." He answered.

"Well, as soon as you answer me, you can." She said giving him a weak smile.

"I'll be alright, Liv... Are _you_ going to be okay?" He asked smiling.

"I don't know." She answered. That wasn't her usual answer, but she didn't care about avoiding a long drawn out conversation about her feelings this time (which she usually hated). She was just glad to be hearing his voice again. Elliot's tired mind wasn't sure of the right response. The elevator doors opened up and she stepped out.

"I think I can make it to my door alright, El." She said. "I'll see you later." She turned around.

"Liv?" He called after her.

"Yeah?" He thought for a second about what to say. He finally settled on 'I'll see you later.' And he watched her walk down the hall as the elevator doors closed.

Olivia opened her door. The lock was now broken from Robert Kline's violent entrance. She sighed as she caught sight of the Crack in the door to the right of the knob.

It was 7:10 in the morning and the sun was shining through her windows painting her apartment scarlet red. She could tell that someone had been there; Robert, the police, Elliot.

Olivia glanced on her kitchen counter and found her keys where she left them.

Her head was hurting so she went to the bathroom to get something to take for it. She glanced at her shower thinking about the shower she had put off when she came home from work two day's before.

"Just two day's." She said out loud to herself. It had felt like a month since she'd been in her apartment last. She considered taking a shower again but decided against it when she realized she was tilting a little to the right from being so tired.

She walked out of her Bathroom and into her bedroom. She definitely needed to get out of the cloths she was wearing and doubted if she'd ever put them on again.

She put on her tank top and drawstring pants and climbed into bed. She was asleep before she could get under her covers.

A/n (a): I plan to delve deeper into the depths of OE-ness. I don't know how that's going to work out but whatever. Also, I would like to add that I have 13 chapters in my 'Olivia's Call' not 11 so if your wondering what the hell is going on, you probably didn't read the last two. Thank you and until next time, this is Muppet, signing off.


	2. Returning Home

Author: Muppet

Chapter title: Returning home

Rating: pg (I can't go any lower)

Disclaimer: Is something your property if you steal it? If so these characters are mine.

A/n- Second chapter. Call me butter because I'm on a roll. I mean I guess the size out ways the speed, but whatever. Reviews are appreciated

Elliot Stabler arrived home at 7:30 after Fin took the Captain home and Elliot took the wheel and did the same for Fin. He walked in the door of his house and walked into his quiet seemingly empty house. He stood for a moment in the doorway.

He then heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"Give it!" He heard Elisabeth say. "You already took too much, give it!" Eliot smiled at the sound of his children quarreling in the morning.

"Dickey, give your sister the milk." Kathy said. Elliot walked into the kitchen and found three of his four children sitting at the table.

"Daddy..." Kathleen said getting up from the table to hug him.

"Is Olivia alright?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah, she's going to be fine." He said looking at his wife, his words slurring a little bit from being so tired.

"What about the man?" Elisabeth asked who undoubtedly saw the tape on television.

"He was arrested. He won't be hurting anyone else."

"Well that's good, daddy. But you look like death." Elliot looked down at Kathleen who was smiling slightly. He smiled back.

"Well thank you, Kathleen." He answered back. She laughed at his sarcasm.

"She's right, you need sleep." Kathy said looking at him. Elliot remembered that she had come over to precinct the day before and had something to tell him.

"You had something to tell me?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. I'll tell you later, after you've had some sleep." Elliot was confused. He had no idea what she had to say. Whatever it was it obviously isn't something you can sleep on. 'Is she pregnant?' he thought.

He was too tired to trouble his mind over such things. He told all his children to have a good day and made his way up to his bedroom. He collapsed on the bed with a sigh and glances at the clock and sees it is 7:40 am. Finally he could get sleep. He was wearing the same cloths that he'd been wearing for the past two days but he didn't care. Olivia is safe and that's all that matters.

A/n (a): Short, I know but I did right and post this about... thirty minutes after my first chapter. I will update again soon. So until next time, this is Muppet, signing off.


	3. Checking On Olivia

Author: Muppet

Chapter title: Checking On Olivia

Rating: pg (I dunno)

Disclaimer: For those of you who read Olivia's call you know I lost my SVU characters in a poker game to that sneaky Dick after buying them on EBay. Well as I said in my last chapter I stole them back with a little help from my awesome SWAT people. So they're mine…again.

A/n- Alright if you are having trouble finding Olivia's Call (Lorenzo) and you've clicked my name and tried to access it through my profile and still can't find it then you have…SPYWARE! I'm kidding. Tell me more. Does an error pop up or does it say wrong format? Or are just not seeing it? It's rated R so it might not appear at first unless you select 'Rating: All' but like I said you can access it in my profile by clicking my name. Everyone else, enjoy my fanfiction-y goodness.

Elliot awoke at 1:45. Light was pouring into the windows and he winced as bright light obstructed the vision of his newly open eyes. He realized he was under the covers and his shoes were on the floor beside the bed. 'Kathy' he thought.

His kids were still at school and would be for another hour and a half. He had the day to relax and make up for two days worth of lost sleep and not to mention to take a much needed shower. He also wanted to check up on Olivia and see how she was doing. He just thought in wake of recent events he should just stop by and see if she was feeling. At least that's what he told himself.

He got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned the water as hot as his body could stand and let the water beat against his back.

After he got out of the shower he changed his clothes: a pair of jeans and black t-shit. He opened his closet and searched for his tennis shoes. He slipped them on and quickly went down the stairs, skipping a few steps as he went.

He went into the kitchen and grabbed his keys off the counter where he left them that morning. Kathy was sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

"Are you in a hurry?" She asked slightly amused at his rapid movements.

"No, not really." He felt a strange impulse to lie about where he was going. He hadn't really ever lied to Kathy before unless it important or someone else stood to benefit greatly from it.

"Where are you going?" She asked not trying to sound like a nag.

"To check some things about a case... it will only be hour or two." He hadn't really lied, unless Olivia doesn't qualify as "some thing."

"What about our talk. I had something to tell you, remember?" She said not even bothering to ask about his vagueness.

"Oh yeah, Can it wait? I'll be right back." He didn't want to hear the news until he checked on Olivia otherwise he might not be able to leave the house at all.

"Yeah sure, El." She looked back at the newspaper. Elliot stared for a moment; he could tell she wasn't really reading it just then. He resisted the urge to stay and said goodbye and headed out the door.

It was a warm spring morning, unlike the chilly and bitter morning before. A short warm and tepid breeze brushed across his face.

He got into the sedan and headed for Olivia's apartment. Traffic was at a low so he got there sooner than he thought. It was 2:30 when the elevator opened up onto Olivia's floor.

Elliot noticed the big crack in her door and that the lock was broken. Had he known that he wouldn't have let her stay alone?

When no one answered his knock he slowly opened the door and crept inside. He looked around and saw that things were still on the floor from a few nights ago.

"Liv?" he called out. He opened her bedroom door to find her lying on her bed not under the covers seemingly knocked out. He went to her side and shook her awake.

"Olivia." He said, sounding very desperate.

Olivia made a few grumbling sounds and sat up quickly with a gasp as she saw the shadowy silhouette kneeling in front of her.

"Oh my god, Elliot!" she said after realizing it was him. He was now laughing out loud.

"That's not funny! What are you doing here?" She said she knew it was funny; she was laughing as well.

"I'm checking up on you." He said smiling and sitting himself down on the bed next to her.

"No, why are you _in_ here? Don't you usually knock" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"I knocked but you didn't answer and when I came in you were just lying here." He answered back.

"You must have been tired." He added.

"Oh, you have no idea." She said laying back down.

"I didn't sleep anymore than you did the past few days." He said lying down next to her so they were both looking up at the ceiling.

"My phone was ringing off the hook this morning." She said with a sigh.

"Why?" He asked a little confused.

"The media wants me to do interviews." She said annoyed at merely stating it.

"And?" He said smiling.

"And I unplugged my phone." They both were silent for a few seconds.

"Is that weird?" She asked turning to face him.

"No." He said, a smile still n his face.

"Most people would jump at the chance." She said looking past him.

"You're not most people, Liv." He said leaning so she would look at him.

"That' what I love about you. That's what everyone loves about you." She smiled in flattery.

"So how's your family doing?" She asked.

"They're fine. They asked about you." He said still smiling.

"They heard, huh?" She said, though she already knew that.

"Who hasn't?" Elliot said. Olivia looked down; Elliot thought she looked upset by his statement.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He said, smile gone.

"No, you're right. It doesn't matter, though." She said looking down again.

"That's not true." He said.

"Isn't it? It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean... I survived." By the small pain in her chest as the words came out she knew that wasn't true.

"Olivia, you don't have to pretend around me; I'm your partner." He reminded sitting up. However Olivia's ego wouldn't let her admit that he was right and that she was pretending, maybe last night she would when she was tired and vulnerable, but not now.

"I'm not pretending Elliot." She said slightly annoyed and sitting up as well.

"Oh yeah? What about last night when I asked you if you were alright?" He asked.

"I said I didn't know. I didn't say I was suffocating in agony and emotion and can't last the day without you checking up on me." She said getting off the bed completely.

"I didn't say that either." He said somewhat offended.

"Look, all I'm saying is: I'm fine." She said exiting the room for a glass of water. Elliot followed.

"And that having the whole world recognize you as a cop who set Robert Kline up six years ago and can't even defend herself doesn't bother you." He added mockingly.

"I think I demonstrated I can take care of myself just fine." She said pulling a glass out of her cupboard and filling it with water.

"Look Liv, I just don't want you to put up a defensive wall and block everyone out, especially me. First day back and we're already fighting." Olivia smiled and took a sip.

"Alright," She said giving in. "I'll be honest with you." She said.

"That's all I want." He said.

"It hurts." She said. Elliot nodded understandingly.

"And… maybe I am suffocating in agony and emotion and can't last the day without you checking up on me." She said smiling. Elliot smiled back.

"Well then I'm glad I came by." He said approaching her.

"I'm glad you did too." She said putting her glass on the counter. He hugged her and they stood for a few seconds. Olivia's arms were rapped around his neck and his were around her back but somehow found they're way to her waist.

Olivia pulled her head back to look him in the eye. They stood, for a moment, in silence looking at each other. They began to slowly lean in towards each other.

"Elliot…" Olivia said letting go and stepping back. They stood in silence for a moment staring. Then Elliot's cell phone began to ring. It rang three and a half times before Elliot snapped out of his trance and answered.

"Stabler." He answered. "Kath I-…. Well where are you going?... Alright… well I'll be there… Bye." There was no 'I love you' this time, or the time before. He couldn't remember the last time his wife said she loved him. Or the last time he told her he loved her. But this wasn't the time to think about that.

"I have to go, Olivia." She nodded in response. "I'm sorry it's just-"

"No it's alright. I'll be fine. I think I can last the rest of the day." She said smiling. He smiled back and walked towards the door.

"And when we were…" He wanted to say something about what just happened just then between them but he wasn't sure of what to say.

"It's okay. Go." She said and then added a smile as not to seem as if she was rushing him out or was offended by his leaving. Elliot nodded and left without another word.

A/n (a): This chapter I revised slightly and reposted. I hope this is a little better. Alright so until next time, this is Muppet, signing off.


	4. You'll Always Be Alex to Me

Author: Muppet

Rating: pg

Chapter title: You'll Always be Alex To Me

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine anymore, don't ask. I'd probably screw everything up anyway, and then Dick would have to come back and restore order to my world of SVU chaos. Ask yourself: Is it worth hearing that crafty Dick say: 'I told you so'?

A/N: Alright, it took me a while to think about what to do for this one, but I finally figured it out. Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy this one. Reviews are good, keep em' coming. Oh yeah and Thanks Maureen. You are the coolest and most awesome biatch in all the land.

Olivia stood for moment staring at the door that Elliot had just exited. She wasn't sure what to make of what just happened. She wasn't sure of virtually anything. She came home that morning and went to sleep and woke up and spoke with Elliot, she really hadn't any time to think yet.

She sat down on the couch and tried to organize her thoughts but it was a fruitless attempt. She took a deep breath to collect herself and closed her eyes, resting her head on the arm of the sofa.

She came to one conclusion as she sat there in silence, or at least the most silence you can get in Manhattan at 2:40 in the afternoon, and that was that her life is now more confusing than it had ever been.

She couldn't make sense of anything. She wasn't sure if she could walk out of her apartment without being recognized or how long it would take before the whole thing would blow over, or even if there was anything to blow over. She wouldn't know unless she went outside. But first she needed a shower.

She got up lazily and walked into the bathroom and began to shed off all her cloths. She got into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting it to be a few degrees hotter than her usual 115.

She stood with her back to the valve letting the hot water beat rhythmically against her skin. It had been too long since she felt that warm, massaging sensation.

After she stepped out of the shower she dried herself and her hair. It wasn't for a few minutes that she heard a small ringing coming from her bedroom. She immediately recognized it as her cell phone that hadn't been touched for the past few days. Hearing the ring of her phone made her feel even more at home.

She quickly glanced at the small screen noticing an unfamiliar number. She answered it anyway.

"Benson." She answered automatically.

"Olivia. It's great to hear your voice, again. I'm glad that you're alright." said a somewhat exited voice on the other end, a voice that made Olivia's heart leap. It was a very familiar voice. A voice Olivia knew to be that of Alexandra Cabot.

"Alex?" Olivia said almost dropping her towel.

"Well actually it's Jocelyn, now." Alex said.

"Wow... I... this is a surprise." Olivia said seating herself on her bed.

"Yeah, I wanted to see you in person but, well, you know. They said the best they could do was set up an unmonitored phone call." Jocelyn said.

"That's alright I'm just glad to hear from you." Olivia said.

"Are you okay? You sound good." Jocelyn asked concerned. Olivia took a deep breath, not quite sure how to answer that question.

"I'm fine. I took a shower and got some sleep I think that's all I needed." Se said, not very truthfully.

"I saw you on the news. I was really worried. So, what happened?" Jocelyn asked.

"Well, his name was Robert Kline and he was under the impression that I framed him with cocaine six years ago and came to my apartment and... to make a long story short I ended up being knocked out with the but of my own gun and taken to a damp basement somewhere in New York." Olivia said, skipping over the details. There was a short pause.

"I know this is none of my business, Olivia, but when you said you had HIV..." She trailed off.

"Oh, that wasn't true." Olivia heard a sigh of relief on the other end.

"That's good to hear. And he's in custody now, right?"

"Yes."

"So everything and everyone's alright? Elliot, Munch, Cragen, Fin?" She asked.

"Munch is in the hospital, He was shot in the arm but he should be fine, and Cragen was shot as well but he had a vest on so he'll live too. Everyone else is alright." Olivia said.

"And how's Huang?" Jocelyn asked.

"I guess that depends on how much sleep he's lost over this. I haven't spoken with him for a few days." They continued to talk for several more minutes, Jocelyn divulging as much information as she could about her new life, including her dog which she aptly named after Olivia.

"I should go; my ten minutes have been over for a while. Listen Olivia, I know I shouldn't do this but... My number is 821-8868. Call me anytime if you need anything." Jocelyn said not sure whether she would regret that later.

"I will." Olivia said.

"Bye Olivia."

"Bye. Oh yeah and Jocelyn?" Olivia said smiling.

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth: Jocelyn is a very nice name, but you'll always be Alex to me." Olivia could sense a smile on the other end.

"Goodbye Olivia"

"Goodbye Alex."

Olivia definitely was in a better mood after talking to Alex. She wanted to go outside before she suffocated behind the closed walls of her apartment. She was trapped in a damp, musty basement for two days she definitely needed some fresh air. She would clean up the mess from a few nights ago later. She decided to take a walk down the busy esplanades of Manhattan. Maybe someone would recognize her, maybe not. Either way she was going out.

Olivia walked to her closet and slipped on her white spaghetti strap shirt and her dark blue jeans that she hadn't worn in a few months, and a light grey jacket.

As she was walking towards the door she noticed the bullet whole in the door frame. The bullet she had shot at Robert and missed two days before.

It had crossed her mind how different things would be if that bullet had gone maybe an inch or two more to the right. She hadn't missed often, in fact, hardly ever with the exception of her rookie days. Why had she missed then? She thought about that as she rode the elevator down to the first floor, stepped out onto the sidewalk and passed pedestrians on the sidewalk. She was walking with a purpose, even thought she hadn't one.

She finally decided on a coffee place she would sometimes go on her way to work. It was expensive but she felt she had well deserved a treat, plus they made great Cappuccinos.

After walking a block or two her eyes began to glance in the faces of other people walking on the sidewalk. No one was looking at her. That was a relief.

She walked through the doors of the coffee shop and walked up to the counter, there wasn't a line then, most people were at work or school.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" asked a young man in the standard red apron.

"Yeah, Cappuccino Grande, please." She answered looking around, noticing the place was empty with the exception of a group of a few students at one table surrounded by papers and books, most likely studying for a test.

"That'll be 3.50." He said with a smile. She began to search her pant pockets for her wallet but she realized she left it back at her apartment. She opened her mouth to explain but he cut her off.

"Hey aren't you that lady from TV?" He asked.

"I guess that depends on to whom you are referring." She answered.

"You know the one that was on that tape... with the guy?"

"That's me." She said somewhat distressed, but she knew this had to happen sometime.

"Wow. I never imagined I would run into you. This is- This is really weird."

"Indeed." She said just wanting to get out of there.

"Hey, was that tape real? Or was it just fake?" He asked.

"It was real." She answered. He just nodded in response not wanting to offend her in any way.

"Cappuccino Grande." Said a short red headed woman placing her order on the table.

"Hey Laura, this is the woman from TV. You know the one." He said to the woman.

"Right, Olivia. I have an aunt named Olivia."

"Oh?" Olivia said, preparing to leave.

"Have you paid yet?" The woman asked.

"No." She said, wondering where this as going.

"Well this one is on the house." The woman said with a smile.

"I don't think-"

"Don't worry about it." She said knowing just what Olivia was going to say.

"It's not often we get a celebrity in here." Olivia wanted to tell her that she was no celebrity but she was cut off.

"We've had celebrities in here before, like the guy from the Real World and that British lady from that movie. Remember?" Olivia definitely wanted to get out of there. She grabbed her coffee thanked them and left before they had time to ask for an autograph.

This was all very new to Olivia. She knew that would not be her last awkward moment that was a result of resent events but that didn't stop her from wishing it was.

She decided maybe she had enough fresh air for one day and that she should take her coffee back to her apartment.

A/N (a): I'm going to update this again soon, really soon. And Kathy's news _might_ be divulged in the next chapter. The news that she will tell him has changed in my mind more than 11 times. Yes, I knew what I wanted it to be at first but I just didn't think it would fit. Oh yeah and don't call that number, chances are you're not going to get Alex on the other end... or Jocelyn. Anyways until next time, this is Muppet signing off.


	5. What She Has Done

Author: Muppet

Rating: PG (I dunno maybe its pg-13... if you're twelve click the 'x' in the upper right corner of your screen now.)

Chapter title: What she has done

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU but if I did I'd change the theme song to "I'm Blue (da-ba-dee)". I'm only kidding.

A/N: This chapter takes place after Elliot left Olivia's apartment. Sorry for not updating soon enough. Oh and I forgot to mention in my last update, that I revised my chapter three a little, small adjustments, nothing big. Oh yeah and thank you Audrey for helping me write this chapter though you didn't do the best job of checking it grammatically. And thank you Maureen for picking up where Audrey left off. You guys are awesome.

Elliot walked down the hallway from Olivia's door. Kathy had told him she was going to be leaving somewhere and wanted to talk to him before she left. When he asked where she seemed agitated, saying that he just needed to get home.

So many things were on Elliot's mind; Olivia, for one. He was glad he stopped by and saw her. She needed him more than she knew and he needed her just as much, as he found out the hard way.

The thought of what would have happened if the phone had not rung just then in Olivia's apartment was a thought Elliot's married mind wanted to keep out. Everything was getting so confusing and whether things would go up or down from there was an even cloudier issue.

Elliot got inside his sedan and drove to his house in twenty minutes. He could have driven a lot faster but his mind was somewhere else. He walked up his walkway and onto his porch. He unlocked the door and went inside.

He walked into the kitchen to find Kathy in the same chair she was sitting in when he left. The thought of whether or not she had moved crossed his mind as he sat down in the chair across from her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He began to get a little more nervous as the seconds passed in silence.

"When I came to your work the other day..." She began not knowing where to go from there. She decided to start over with a different approach.

"A few days ago I was... cleaning the house when I realized... I was late." It took Elliot a second or two to realize what she meant.

"You mean..." He began, but was having trouble getting the rest of the words out.

"I took a test and... it was positive" She said looking him in the eye carefully. He couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say.

"Just to be sure I went to the doctor." She said still looking at him.

"And?" he asked her getting up to take the seat next to her at the table.

"And... it was positive." She answered hesitatingly.

"You're... pregnant. Wow." He said, leaning back slightly in his chair trying to take it all in.

"That's good news, right?" He asked noticing the disturbed look on her face.

"Elliot..." She began. She had something to add.

"Yeah?" He said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"There's something else." She said.

"What?" He asked confused as to what other news there could be. She sat for a moment and looked up at him. She knew she could never have enough courage to come out and say what she wanted.

"I'm four weeks pregnant." She said looking down. The fact that they hadn't been intimate in over a month didn't cross Elliot's mind.

"Kat, what do you mean?" He asked confused as to why she would mention that. Elliot wasn't stupid, just blind.

"Nothing, Elliot. Forget about it." She snapped. This wasn't necessarily surprising for Elliot; she had snapped at him many a time while she was pregnant with his other four children.

"Sorry." He said to her sincerely. "So, when are we going to tell the kids?" He asked, his mind going back to when they told Maureen and Kathleen (who was really too young to understand) about Dickey and Lizzie.

"Oh, can we wait to tell the kids?" She said quickly.

"Why?" He asked curiously.

"Because I just want to talk to you about this a little more." She answered somewhat annoyed. She walked across the room and picked her keys off the counter.

"Well, where are you going?" He asked not bothering to ask about her vague answer to his last question.

"I'm going to run some errands. I'll be back in an hour or so." She said heading for the door.

"Kathy." He called out to her to get her attention. She turned to face him and he walked over to her and kissed her. She returned the kiss reluctantly.

"I love you." He said after pulling back and smiling.

"I love you, too" She said halfheartedly returning the smile. And with that she turned and walked out of the door. She walked to the driveway and into her car. Elliot watched out the window. The car didn't move. She just sat there in her car. He couldn't see what she was doing inside but if he knew he would not be smiling.

Kathy sat in her car crying, her hands covering her face. 'How did this happen? How did I let this happen? What did I do to deserve this?' was what she was thinking. But that's just it. She did do something to deserve this punishment. She cheated on her husband. And now she was about to be on her way to meet the man she cheated with.

She'd promised him that she would tell Elliot, but seeing him sitting next to her she didn't have the heart to break his.

She loved Elliot, of course, but it was different now. It is a different kind of love. She loved Elliot because of what they share together and not what they have. They share a home, a bed, a family, and memories of the past and what they used to be. But that was not good enough.

She didn't want to feel like she was "lucky" when Elliot would come home early enough to have dinner with his family. She didn't want to feel like she had to raise their kids by herself, and she didn't want to feel the only time they could really be together is in retirement. And she didn't want to feel jealous of the woman he spent all his time with and could tell things to that he could not tell his own wife.

But now as she sat there in her car looking through a veil of tears she realized: What she had done didn't make any of that go away.

A/n (a): Will Kathy ever tell Elliot about her lover on the side? Will Olivia's life ever get back to normal (see chapter four) Will Elliot flip out and go totally insane? Will Olivia suffer from post- concussion hemorrhage syndrome? (I think I just made that up). Tune in next time to find out. So until then, this is Muppet signing off.


End file.
